Blaugrana are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, while Vallecano suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Espanyol.
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Barcelona will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the La Liga to eight games when they travel to Estadio de Vallecanoto to take on Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night. Blaugrana are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, while Vallecano suffered a 2-1 defeat away to Espanyol. The victory helped Xavi’s side to restore their 11 point lead at the summit of the Spanish top flight standings, having taken 76 points from 30 games. The hosts, meanwhile, are sitting at the tenth position with 40 points to their name.
⚡️ 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘! ⚡️#𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐁𝐚𝐫𝐜̧𝐚 pic.twitter.com/Eg0hAJ8Tqk
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 26, 2023
Rayo lost out to fourth-placed Real Sociedad on Saturday despite taking the lead through Isi Palazo’s 57th-minute effort. Prior to that, Los Franjirrojos secured their tenth league-win of the season against Osasuna (2-1) thanks to Aridane Umpierrez’s 40th-minute own goal and Palazo’s effort three minutes later. Andoni Iraola’s side were challenging for a European spot earlier this season, but just one win from their last ten outings has pushed them into the mid-table, seven points behind Villarreal in the sixth position. Nevertheless, with eight games remaining, Rayo’s hopes of a top six finish are still alive and even a top half finish would be considered very good for a team who finished 12th in the standings last term. Meanwhile, Rayo have not lost to Barca in the last three meetings, recording a double last season and playing out a goalless draw in the reverse fixture this term.
Barcelona, on the other hand, ended their three-game winless streak across all competitions with a hard-fought win against Atletico last weekend, thanks to Ferran Torres’s lone goal on the stroke of half-time. It was the Catalan giant’s 24th league-win of the season, their highest top flight win tally after 30 games since 2015-16. Taking 15 points from their final eight fixtures will guarantee Xavi’s side their 26th La Liga title. Blaugrana have lost only two league-matches this season and both of them have come on the road. Nevertheless, Barca have the best away-record in the La Liga this season, having taken 37 points from a possible 45 so far.
Rayo Vallecano probable starting lineup: Dimitrievski, Balliu, Lejeune, Catena, F. Garcia, Ciss, Valentin, Palazon, Trejo, A. Garcia, Camello
Barcelona probable starting lineup: Ter Stegen, Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde, Gavi, Kessie, De Jong, Raphinha, Lewandowski, Torres
Rayo Vallecano
| Opponents | Score |
| Real Sociedad | 2-1 (L) |
| Osasuna | 2-1 (W) |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-2 (L) |
| Valencia | 1-1 (D) |
| Girona | 2-2 (D) |
Barcelona
| Opponents | Score |
| Atletico Madrid | 1-0 (W) |
| Getafe | 0-0 (D) |
| Girona | 0-0 (D) |
| Real Madrid | 0-4 (L) |
| Elche | 0-4 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Barcelona draw Rayo Vallecano | 0-0 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Barcelona | 0-1 |
| Rayo Vallecano beat Barcelona | 1-0 |
| Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano | 1-2 |
| Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano | 3-1 |
The La Liga match between Rayo Vallecano and Barcelona will take take place at Estadio de Vallecanoto on Thursday at 1:30 am IST.
| Rayo Vallecano vs Barcelona | Key Details |
| Date | April 26 (Spain) |
| Venue | Estadio de Vallecanoto |
| Kickoff time in Spain | 10:00 pm (Wednesday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:30 am (Thursday) |
The live telecast of the La Liga matches in India will be available on Sports 18 network. Besides, fans can live stream the match through Jio TV. Meanwhile, those in Spain can watch the match on DAZN La Liga and DAZN.
